


Wolfe Sanctuary

by hlravensnest_archivist



Category: Highlander: The Raven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-31
Updated: 2009-12-31
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:13:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hlravensnest_archivist/pseuds/hlravensnest_archivist
Summary: Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived atHL Raven's Nest. Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onHL Raven's Nest's collection profile.





	Wolfe Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HL Raven's Nest](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HL_Raven%27s_Nest). Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HL Raven's Nest's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hlravensnest/profile).

Wolfe Sanctuary by Shomeret

**_Wolfe Sanctuary_**

**By Shomeret**

* * *

"Joe told me that the Watchers have no idea where he is. None of his people have seen a trace of Nick for months. He seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. I'm worried, Cassandra." 

Amanda didn't mention the very real possibility that Nick might be dead. His beheaded corpse could be rotting anonymously in some trash heap. A brand new immortal with no training was easy pickings in the harsh world of the Game. 

"So you think I can locate this Nick of yours by magic?" 

"It's the only reason why I would come all the way to the middle of nowhere," Amanda said gesturing with annoyance toward the surrounding trees and abundant wildlife that were visible through the windows. Rural life had never agreed with her. She paced restlessly through Cassandra's simple one room dwelling like a caged tigress. "This may be a quaint little cottage, but it's got to get boring after a while. A girl needs a little excitement in her life. So if you won't do it for me, I'll be out of here pronto, darling. I have an appointment with a roulette wheel in Monte Carlo." 

The Witch of Donan Wood scrutinized Amanda speculatively. The two immortal women had little in common beyond a high regard for Duncan MacLeod. They had never been friends, but Amanda had sheltered Cassandra on holy ground when she'd been in desperate circumstances once. Perhaps it was time to return the favor. 

"Very well, Amanda, but I'll have to be honest with you. It may not work. My powers come and go unexpectedly. They are not as reliable as they once were because I take quickenings so rarely. Taking a head would strengthen and renew my powers." 

"But you wouldn't be able to look at yourself in the mirror the next morning. I understand completely. All I ask is that you try, Cassandra. You're my last hope to find Nick." 

"I'll do my best. Have you brought anything that belonged to Nick that I can use as a focus?" 

"This shirt," Amanda said digging into her luggage to display an obviously masculine item of clothing. It was a button down grey and navy blue checked flannel shirt. "I stole it from him," Amanda confessed. "I don't suppose you ever picked up something belonging to a man just to inhale his scent." 

"You might be surprised," Cassandra responded dryly without volunteering any information about her personal history. The three thousand year old immortal had never been inclined toward girl talk. Even if she had been, Amanda was scarcely her idea of a trusted confidante. "Have you worn it? If you have that might confuse my psychic impression," Cassandra warned, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. 

"Do you think the colors suit me?" Amanda asked coyly holding a sleeve up to her face. "No, I've never worn it. I love Nick dearly, but he doesn't have much fashion sense." 

"Perhaps he prefers comfort over fashion," Cassandra suggested in a neutral tone. 

"Right now I don't care so much about what he's wearing. I'm more concerned about his keeping that ruggedly handsome head on his shoulders where it belongs," Amanda said, anxiously crumpling the shirt in her hands. 

"I'll see what I can do about that," Cassandra told her reassuringly as she took the garment from Amanda. 

Cassandra seated herself before an oaken table, laid the shirt out on the table's surface, spread her fingers over the flannel and closed her eyes. The mists of prophecy gathered, but Cassandra commanded them to disperse. She wasn't seeking Nick Wolfe's future now, only his current whereabouts. 

Her magical vision cleared. The man who Cassandra sought approached a cabin in the Canadian Rockies, and presented identification which allowed him entry to a carefully guarded refuge. Wolf packs roamed fearlessly through the wooded valleys and hillsides of this untouched wilderness. Cassandra saw the man stow away his belongings in the cabin, then walk into the hills as the sun reddened over the horizon. Then when he was sure that no human eye could glimpse him, the man removed his garments, crouched on all fours and transformed. Dark fur now covered his lengthened features and re-arranged appendages. He threw back his head and howled. Answering cries rose from the surrounding landscape. Hearing that response, the timber wolf raced joyously in the direction of his relatives. Cassandra knew exactly how he felt. When wolves could live as they chose far from encroaching humanity, their lives were honest, simple and free. She understood all too well why a being who was both man and wolf could yearn for the uncomplicated companionship of a wolf pack, leaving the world of mortal and immortal humans behind. Cassandra had turned her back on humanity in rage and disgust to return to her wolf kindred many times during her long history. A wolf sanctuary might well be the best place for Nick to re-assess his life and come to terms with his immortality. 

Cassandra wondered now what she could tell the immortal woman who loved the man without knowing the side of him that was wolf, yet longed for his presence and feared that his immortal existence had been brutally cut short. She opened her eyes and decided to break the truth to Amanda gradually. 

"Nick is safe, Amanda," she said hoping to soothe her fellow immortal's expression of distress. "You needn't worry about him." 

"Well, that's a relief. Is he on holy ground? Has he found a teacher?" 

"There is a part of Nick's nature that he has kept secret." 

"Are you trying to tell me that he's bisexual?" Amanda responded laughingly. "That he's blissfully shacked up with some man in San Francisco?" 

"Nick's sexuality is not my concern. He has a gift that makes him unusual among immortals, though not unique," Cassandra told her. She hoped her careful phrasing would cushion the shock when Amanda finally learned the full truth about Nick. 

"A gift? I don't understand. What are you telling me?" Amanda responded in confusion. 

"Nick can change his shape. To be specific, he can change into a wolf." 

"A wolf!? Nick's a werewolf as well as an immortal? It doesn't seem possible." 

"Oh, it's very possible," Cassandra responded with a grin that might have been termed wolfish. "Step away from me, Amanda." 

"What are you planning?" Amanda said backing away from Cassandra with a look of trepidation. 

"A demonstration," Cassandra told her as she disrobed, positioned herself and transformed in a swift fluid motion. 

"You're going to...Ohmygod, you are!" Amanda exclaimed as she found herself confronted with a very real white wolf whose glowing green eyes revealed her identity. 

"I never would have imagined this. What a beautiful creature!" Amanda whispered in awe. "Can I touch?" 

The wolf inclined her head in assent. Amanda knelt to stroke the wolf's head tentatively. The wolf leaned into the caress with sensual abandonment. Then with absolutely no notice, Amanda was running her fingers through the auburn hair of the naked Witch of Donan Wood. Amanda froze in uncertainty, but didn't recoil. She stared into Cassandra's magnetic eyes for a long moment. They may have belonged to an ancient immortal, but they were the color of spring, a time of new beginnings. If Amanda fell into those eyes, could she re-create that feeling of newness that she had somehow lost in transit during the last millennium? 

"Let's not do anything in haste that either one of us may regret later," Cassandra said softly, then stood and shrugged into her forest green woolen robe that had been draped over the nearby chair. Two rows of embroidered symbols down the front showed this to be a garment belonging to one who practiced the magical arts. 

"Oh I agree," Amanda said rising to her feet and smiling apologetically. She needed Cassandra's assistance far more than she needed another lover. Cassandra was the only one who could help Amanda understand what it meant to be Nick Wolfe. "I sensed something about Nick, something wild that he kept locked up inside him. I thought I'd find out more if he ever gave me the keys to his soul, but I never dreamed..." 

"No, you couldn't have known. The difference between Nick and myself is that Nick was almost certainly born a werewolf, but I change shape through magic. For me, this is a learned ability. For Nick, this is a part of his nature. Nick is currently in residence at a wolf sanctuary in Canada not far from the U.S border. I recognized it. I've stayed there myself on a number of occasions." 

"I bet it's a _tres chic_ resort for werewolf immortals with a four star rating and everything the well-heeled wolf could want," Amanda said playfully. "May I visit?" 

"For a scheduled guided group tour, yes. But I don't think that would suit your purposes. There are no facilities for overnight guests at this sanctuary, and you wouldn't get any privacy with Nick. You're unauthorized, Amanda. Wolves are threatened by many enemies. We are an endangered species." 

"And what am I? The big bad Goldilocks? Go ahead and search my luggage, Cassandra," Amanda said indignantly, throwing open all her bags for inspection. "I guarantee you won't find any high powered hunting rifles." 

"None of that matters. You would only be allowed to stay there if you were a wolf researcher with all the proper credentials. I believe that Nick must have created a wolf researcher identity for himself. I saw him submitting identification in my vision." 

"Why can't I do the same?" 

"Nick knows about wolves from the inside. He's probably been turning into a wolf since he hit puberty. You can't just pose as a wolf researcher. How much do you know of wolves, Amanda? How large is the average wolf pack?" 

"Ten?" 

Cassandra shook her head, and threw out another question. "Are wolves scavengers or carnivores?" 

"Scavengers," Amanda said, guessing a second time. 

"Amanda, this is very basic background. Dogs are scavengers, but wolves are carnivores. There is no way that you could convince anyone that you are a wolf researcher." 

"So I can't just slide into any profession like Jared what's his name from The Pretender," Amanda admitted in defeat. "I wish he existed. I'd love a good excuse to track him down. That Michael Weiss is one gorgeous specimen," Amanda added with a dreamy sigh. 

"You may not have a television hero at your beck and call, but you do have a shape-changing sorceress available," Cassandra said, reminding Amanda of the obvious. 

"You'd check on Nick for me? But why would you do that?" 

"1192, you were sitting out the Game for a while running that hospice built on holy ground in Sheffield and that rabid pup Kantos was practically nipping at my heels." 

"Oh that's right. I was staying in Sheffield because I'd heard that Kenny had recently been a stable boy at an inn there, and I hoped he might come back. It was the only lead I had in my search for Kenny." 

"Kenny? The enfant terrible of the immortal world?" 

"My student!" said Amanda defensively. 

"Neither of us have had the best of luck with our students," Cassandra responded sympathetically. "Well, regardless of the reason, I can only be glad that you were there to offer me refuge on holy ground. It may take me a while, Amanda, but I eventually do repay my debts." 

"A mere eight hundred and ten years, but who's counting?" said Amanda graciously. 

Cassandra was supposed to be the American fashion model, Daphne Curtiss, getting away from it all for a summer vacation in Scotland. Her return trip to the states was only slightly earlier than she'd originally intended. She still had a few days of her planned vacation left. 

She flew with Amanda to Seacouver. Duncan no longer kept a place of residence there, so Amanda booked a room in the Hilton and immediately began scouting the museums to line up a good prospect. "A girl has to earn her living," the perennial thief declared. 

Cassandra left Amanda to her illicit vocation promising to return with news of Nick. She planned to transform once she reached the sanctuary. The site's wolf researchers kept a census of the current population of wolves, but a lone animal wandering in was a normal enough occurrence. 

She decided to join a mountain biking tour that airlifted both bikes and clients into the Coastal Mountain Range in British Columbia. It would allow her to cover a great deal of territory much more quickly than she could on foot. Cassandra rented a mountain bike for the tour and arranged to return it at the cabin which was the tour's destination. When she arrived, she told the staff that she intended to do some solo backpacking into the Northern Cascades after spending a night at the cabin. 

"The Northern Cascades can be pretty rough going even in August. Are you sure you don't need a guide, Miss Curtiss?" 

"No, I downloaded all the trail information I need online from Bikeways," Cassandra responded in a brisk efficient tone that brooked no contradiction.. 

"I assume you have a cell phone in case of trouble, but they often don't work at high elevations. There's glaciation near the peaks year round. The ice and snow can block transmission, Miss Curtiss," the tour employee warned. 

"I'm aware of the hazards, but I have experience. I climbed Annapurna last summer," Cassandra said with a tight smile. She had been nowhere near Annapurna at the time, but a mortal who knew anything at all about mountaineering might assume she had been inspired by the Annapurna women's expedition of 1978. Her actual climbing experience was a good deal more extensive than any mortal would find credible. 

"Well, I'm just doing my job," he answered with a shrug. "Have a good life, Miss Curtiss, and thank you for using BC Coastal Bike Tours." 

Cassandra left the cabin before dawn, making certain not to wake any of the staff or the other tour members. The next leg of her journey would take her through the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest which covered the Western slopes of the Cascades. This was a recreation area where hunting and trapping were permitted. Cassandra was wearing a bright orange jacket and matching sweat pants, so that she would be very noticeable. Recently rangers had been instructing visitors to recreation areas not to dress in earth tones that blended in with the natural surroundings. Campers had been accidentally killed by hunters who claimed to have mistaken them for deer. 

With hunters around it wasn't safe to transform until she was very close to the wolf sanctuary. She couldn't risk being shot as a wolf. If she experienced a temporary death, she'd shift back to human form involuntarily before she could revive. Yet Cassandra was in good spirits despite the danger. She enjoyed hiking, and she very much looked forward to meeting a member of the werewolf-immortal sub-species. 

She avoided a hunting party by climbing to a higher elevation about a mile away from the wolf sanctuary. The douglas firs receded, becoming sparser and snow-laden during her ascent toward the peak. Then the trees vanished entirely as the ground became rockier, under a thick covering of permafrost. Even though the terrain was treacherous, Cassandra's skills and equipment were up to the challenge. She stopped to admire the sweeping vista before her. 

Cassandra knew that she would have to descend before she transformed, so that she could locate an appropriate spot to bury her pack beforehand. The glaciated rock near the summit definitely wasn't suitable. Once she hit the tree line, she did find a good location to hide her belongings, and the fir trees with their low hanging boughs provided enough concealment so that a stray hiker wasn't likely to witness a woman changing into a wolf. 

She stowed her climbing ropes and grappling hooks away, retrieved a spade from her pack and dug a relatively shallow hole for it. Once she'd buried the backpack and filled in the hole, she warded it magically against thieves with a protective pentagram. Then she marked the spot with her etheric signature, so she could easily retrieve the pack at a later time. Both signs were only visible to those who worked magic. 

Since Cassandra needed to remain in wolf shape for some time, she asked for strength from the wolf spirit who was her magical ally. She raised her arms to call him into her, and felt his awe-inspiring presence touch her soul as she knelt to transform. The white wolf was barely a shadow on the landscape. She passed through the snow blanketed trees, and slipped into the wolf sanctuary. Only the perimeter surveillance cameras registered her presence. 

She didn't howl to announce her arrival. She figured that the local wolves would soon scent an interloper in their territory regardless of what she did. She pursued and brought down a hare, then killed it cleanly by breaking its neck with her sharp canines. 

Moments later, she felt an unmistakable immortal buzz as the large dark alpha who was also known as Nick Wolfe streaked toward the intruder who had dared to hunt in his domain. The pack fanned out awaiting a decision from their leader. There were six other wolves in addition to Nick, and they could collectively rip her to pieces if their alpha deemed her an enemy. Cassandra was aware that she was taking a tremendous risk. Though no sword was present, Cassandra could easily lose her head to the powerful jaws and teeth of these wolves, and the alpha male of this pack was entirely capable of absorbing her quickening. 

Cassandra lowered her head and flattened her ears to show that she was no threat, laid the freshly killed prey at the alpha's feet, then stepped back to see if he would accept the gift. She made no further submissive gestures. She wanted to be ranked in the pack as Nick's equal, an alpha female. 

Nick appeared to hesitate. His apprehension about encountering another immortal was evidently warring with his instinctive attraction to her. The lupine part of his brain was telling him that this was a potential mate, but the immortal buzz was a clear sign of danger. Yet he sensed no menace or deception in this strange female immortal who'd arrived in wolf shape. His innate response to an alpha female turned out to be stronger than his fear. Nick picked up the hare and began to consume the haunch. Then he offered the uneaten remains to the beta male as his portion. The beta dragged the carcass aside, so he could gnaw on it in peace. 

Meanwhile Nick loped toward Cassandra, dropped into what yoga called the downward facing dog position, smiled and wagged his tail. This signaled a desire to play. Cassandra smiled in return, and bumped her body against his. Then they rose up to place their forepaws on each other's necks. The new female was no longer an outsider. The rest of the pack began to frolic in celebration, chasing around in circles and engaging in mock combat. 

While the other wolves continued to romp, Nick led Cassandra to their den. The earthen cavern was comfortable and much cooler than the outdoors. Cassandra was impressed. If Nick had found such fine quarters, he was an excellent pack leader. 

Once they were within the shelter of the den, Nick resumed his human shape. He seized a blue terry cloth robe from a box of his clothing in a corner of the cave and set it down in front of her. He turned his back to allow her some privacy. Cassandra was secretly pleased by this gentlemanly gallantry. It reminded her of Duncan MacLeod. With his back to her, Nick put on a pair of boxer shorts followed by faded jeans and a grey tank top. 

When Cassandra faced him as a woman clad in his robe, she saw an enormously attractive man with broad shoulders and a powerfully developed physique. Regardless of how he had become immortal, it was clear that Amanda had chosen well for him. He was exactly the right age and his physical condition was ideal. She understood his misgivings about immortality, but one day he should thank Amanda for increasing his chances of survival. 

It was impossible for him to conceal the intensity of his desire for her. The sheen of perspiration on his forehead and the overwhelming scent of male passion gave him away so completely that words seemed superfluous. It was obvious that he was exercising every ounce of control in his possession, yet he did somehow manage to speak. 

"You are a goddess!" he said in a husky whisper. "I thought you were beautiful as a wolf, but as a woman you are unsurpassed. Helen of Troy herself could not have been more lovely." 

"I wouldn't know. I never met her. I was born about a thousand years later," Cassandra confessed. 

"Then you must be..." he began, then stopped himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't speculate about your age." 

"There's no need to speculate. I'm three thousand years old. To my best knowledge, that makes me the oldest woman alive." 

Cassandra knew that it was reckless to reveal her age to an immortal that she'd only just encountered, but her wolf senses had responded very favorably to this man. 

"Well, I always did go for older women," Nick said with a laugh. 

"Like Amanda?" 

"I don't want to talk about Amanda. Did she send you?" he demanded in a harsh tone. The name Amanda had the same impact as a bucket of ice water. All that sexual heat evaporated to be replaced by waves of anger, hurt and betrayal. "You can tell Amanda that it's over between us. She broke my trust, and when trust is gone there's no basis for a relationship. I'll never forgive that woman!" 

"Never is potentially longer than you can imagine right now, Nick." She held up her hand to forestall a skeptical comment. "No, hear me out. I once said that I'd never forgive a man. He helped to massacre the tribe who'd adopted me. He took me captive, then broke my will through rape, torture and degradation. He killed me over and over, pretending all the while that he was the god who revived me. I didn't learn that I was immortal until after I escaped him. But all of that happened in ancient times. A few years ago I could have taken his head, and I nearly did. He was on his knees weeping over a friend he'd killed in my defense. The friend was a savage brute with all the sensitivity of a Neanderthal, so I had no sympathy for his loss, but he had just saved my life. A small voice inside me whispered that he really might have changed. And for that brief moment of doubt, I let him live. I don't know if I can forgive that man, Nick. I still have occasional nightmares in which I re-experience everything he did to me in excruciating detail. Immortals can't forget, but there is the possibility that one day I may forgive." 

"You're an amazing woman. If anyone had done that to me, I doubt that I would consider forgiving him no matter how long ago it was. Though I guess I wouldn't have taken his head if he'd saved my life." 

"Amanda saved your life." 

"For what? So I can start a shrunken head collection? Look lady..." 

"The name's Cassandra." 

"Don't interrupt," he said in an irritated tone. "I heard you out, Cassandra, now you listen to me. I was a cop before Amanda waltzed into my life and screwed me over. If murder is the price of my survival, then maybe I don't want to survive!" 

"Wolves kill, Nick." 

"We kill for food and to protect ourselves. We don't hunt down members of our own species for some nebulous prize that may not even exist. You're three times older than Amanda. Do you even know if this hell-spawned prize exists?" 

"No, I don't and I'm not any fonder of the Game than you are." 

"So what's the purpose of immortal existence? Tell me that, Cassandra." 

"Mortals don't have any certainty about the purpose of their existence either. You find purpose, Nick. You make your own meaning-- just as mortals do." 

"Right now, my purpose is this," he said hungrily taking her face in his hands and kissing Cassandra with all the wolfish wildness in his soul. "And this," he added, blazing a trail down her throat which sparked answering flame within her. The ardor in his half-closed eyes had returned full force like the sudden surprise of lightning streaking across a summer sky.. She arched her body as he parted the robe, and allowed him to claim her. 

Cassandra woke languidly on a bed of furs with the dawn streaming into the cave. Wolves were lying curled together helter skelter in the den just like any other pack, apparently unconcerned that their alpha and his mate had taken human form. They knew him by his scent, and he had chosen her. That was enough for them. 

Nick sensed that his bed partner was no longer asleep, and stroked her hair tenderly. He could hardly believe his good fortune. Cassandra was everything he could have wanted. He'd felt torn and twisted up inside ever since he'd learned of his immortality. Only she could knit together both halves of his being. They would walk the way of the wolf, and the road of immortality together. 

"Stay here with me, Cassandra," he said. "Be my mate." 

Cassandra sighed regretfully and caressed that charming patch of stubble on his chin, that hint of his feral nature. 

"I'm sorry, Nick, but I can't stay here." 

"Is this some sort of misguided loyalty to Amanda? I swear to you, Cassandra, I'll never go back to her." 

"You're not listening to me, Nick. I said I can't stay here, and neither can you. You've never been an alpha before, have you?" 

"No, you're right. I haven't. The first time I transformed I was only a child, so I took the form of a pup, and as I grew older I was still a young low-status wolf. I stopped transforming when I entered the police academy. Being a cop became my entire life for a while. It was only after I became immortal that I finally remembered the part of me that was a wolf. I needed to remember. I've been groping for wholeness, Cassandra, for a sense of who I am." 

"But now that you're an alpha, you need to think of the fate of your pack over the long-term. It's fine for you and I to reign as alphas during the summer months, but what happens in January when male wolves become fertile? You know as well as I do that only alphas are allowed to reproduce, and neither of us can do that in any form." 

"So I'd step aside in January, and allow my beta to assume the alpha role." 

"Then I'd have to leave.. If you're not the alpha, you can't have a mate." 

"I don't want to lose you, Cassandra," he said urgently pulling her closer. "We're of the same kind. You already mean so much to me, and I don't know how it happened so fast." 

"It's like that for wolves, Nick," she answered in an amused tone. 

"Wolves mate for life, so how could you have... Yes of course you have. You've probably lived hundreds of lives," he said ruefully answering his own question. "Don't mind me. I'm still adjusting to the immortal perspective." 

"Speaking of the immortal perspective, we may already have been tracked here by Watchers. Amanda's closer than she should be to that Watcher, Joe Dawson. She probably told him that you were at a wolf sanctuary and gave him the general location." 

"Damn!" Nick said under his breath. "I don't trust the Watchers, and I don't think their information is secure. If they bring the Game here..." 

"If they bring the Game here wolves may die. Many immortals are ruthless and unscrupulous. You can't rely on your pack to protect you, Nick. It's your responsibility as an alpha to protect them." 

"I couldn't agree more," Nick said grimly. "We've got to find out for sure one way or another. A Watcher could be taking this afternoon's tour. I might as well go play wolf researcher and check the tour group for tattoos." 

He rose to ransack through his belongings for a pair of clean towels and tossed one to Cassandra. "Further back in this cave system there's an underground pool. It's not polluted, and there's a fair amount of privacy if you don't mind wolves," he added with a grin. 

He led her into a descending passageway that opened out into a vast underground chamber. There was a pool fed by a spring whose water bubbled up from the depths of the earth. The water possessed a crystalline purity that was rarely seen on the surface. Glistening stalactites hung from the ceiling and every sound echoed. Cassandra could sense that this was a place of tremendous power, though no human being had ever worshipped here. The pack joined their alphas in the pool and splashed one another playfully. Their innocent frolic did not in any way subtract from the holiness of the place. This pool belonged to the wolves. It was their haven. Cassandra felt very strongly that her sorcerous wolf ally wanted her to make certain that it stayed that way. She would have to do a magical working here before she and Nick left the area. 

After they had bathed and dressed, they discussed whether Cassandra should transform and stay with the pack, or join the tour. 

"I think I should join the tour. We can't sense Watchers, and two sets of eyes are better than one." 

After Nick indicated his agreement, she left the cave and hurriedly transformed. She could reach the location where she'd buried her pack more swiftly as a wolf. She arrived there without incident, retrieved her belongings in human form, dressed in a casual outfit and consulted her map for the nearest road. 

The motorist she flagged down was a very maternal middle aged woman who wondered with concern if Cassandra's mother had ever warned her against hitchhiking. 

"I am sure my mother would have thought of it, if she had ever seen an automobile in our small village," Cassandra said with a thick accent that could be identified as vaguely East European. 

The matron apologized profusely for her assumptions, welcomed Cassandra to America and seemed amazed that she spoke such good English. Cassandra impressed her further by asking to be dropped off at the nearest car rental agency. The woman reflected on the cultural distance that Cassandra had traversed--from never having seen a car to actually acquiring a driver's license. 

Lady, you haven't a clue about how far I've come, Cassandra thought. She found it entertaining to be viewed as a recent immigrant, but she kept her amusement to herself. 

Cassandra called in to her agency saying that she intended to take another week, and then decide if she was ready to accept a new assignment. She'd been Daphne Curtiss for five years now, and models didn't have a very long shelf life. It might be time to terminate this identity. Maybe Daphne could disappear while hiking in the mountains. 

She was seriously considering re-inventing herself as an anthropologist who was doing a cross-cultural study of wolf legends. She and Nick could immerse themselves in their mutual love affair with wolves and with one another for a while. Cassandra hadn't been truly happy for some time. She deserved some happiness after that hellish nightmare she'd endured in Bordeaux and the flashbacks that had haunted her afterward. 

Cassandra displayed her driver's license when she registered with the security guards at the gate for the wolf sanctuary tour. She didn't notice any wrist tattoos as her fellow tour members congregated on the front porch of the cabin which was a short hike from the gate. Nick introduced himself as Dr. Gerard Neuhardt ("call me Dr. Jerry")who was here at the sanctuary doing a study on the relationships between alpha mates outside of mating season, and asked if there were any questions before he began the tour. Suddenly Cassandra heard the thump of a late arrival's cane on the steps leading up to the porch, then she turned to see a familiar silver haired visage. 

"Sorry I'm late, folks," he said with a smile that seemed a bit forced. The Watcher was visibly uncomfortable with the prospect of hiking through such rough terrain, though it seemed likely to Cassandra that he'd hiked through hills during the years that he'd watched Duncan. 

"Glad you could join us, sir. Call me Dr. Jerry," Nick said blandly reintroducing himself to the newcomer without showing any sign of recognition. 

Nick took the group to visit the territory of a pack whose haunts were relatively nearby and accessible, reminding these human guests to keep a respectful distance from the wolves at all times. He told them the ages, histories and status of each wolf present as the tour group listened enthralled. 

In this particular pack the alpha female had given birth to a fine litter in the last mating season. They were rough housing with one another just like a bunch of human children on a playground. 

"Oh, those pups look so darling," one woman who wore a fortune in jangling silver and turquoise jewelry said, edging closer to the smallest members of the pack. The alpha female snarled in warning and seemed about to lunge at the intruder. 

"I didn't mean any harm," the woman protested plaintively as she retreated. 

"The alpha female doesn't know that, ma'am. Wolves are very protective of their young," Nick informed her. 

Joe Dawson produced a pair of binoculars and handed them to the woman. "I see you didn't bring binoculars, so you can borrow mine. That way you can observe the pups playing at a safe distance." 

"That's very sweet of you," she told the Watcher. "My name's Debbie. I read that book called Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and I really adore wolves. That mother wolf is my sister. I just know that I was an alpha female wolf in a past life." 

Cassandra groaned inwardly. This silly New Ager had no more concept of what it meant to be a wolf, than she did of reincarnation. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the alpha female for whom she felt such warm feelings of kinship might easily have killed her. 

Nick wrapped up the tour by showing the tour group the location of this pack's summer den without bringing them inside. He briefly discussed the differences between summer and winter dens, and then led them back to the gate. Joe Dawson reclaimed his binoculars from the alleged reincarnated alpha female, and wished her good luck. In a burst of enthusiasm she hugged the astonished Watcher before following the other tourists through the gate. Within moments, the only remaining tour group members were Joe and Cassandra. Nick gestured toward a copse of trees that were distant enough to be out of earshot for the security guards, and Joe made his way toward them. 

"I'm not surprised that you were the one with binoculars, Dawson," Nick commented sourly when Joe arrived. 

"Bird watching is a hobby of mine." 

"Oh, I'm sure you're a dues paying member of the Audubon Society." 

"As a matter of fact I am." 

"Birds can't object, but I can. Neither you nor any of your colleagues are welcome here, Dawson." 

"And here I thought that the last time we met, we had an understanding, Nick." 

"You and Amanda have the understanding. All I have right now is a massive headache. Maybe I'm just allergic to being spied on." 

"I seem to have the same allergic reaction. It might be a genetic trait," Cassandra said with an exasperated sigh, as she approached the two men with the heel of her palm pressed to her forehead to indicate the pain she shared with Nick. 

"Well, at least I can tell Amanda that I've seen you," Joe said turning to go. 

"You can also tell Amanda that I hope I've seen the last of her," Nick responded. 

"She cares about you, Nick," Joe said as he slowly pivoted to face Nick once more. "She's always had the best of intentions toward you." 

" Newsflash, Dawson. I don't give a damn about her intentions. I just want her out of my life. I've found the only woman I need," Nick said throwing an arm around Cassandra. 

"You and Cassandra are a couple?" Joe said looking genuinely shocked. "My God, there's so much you don't know about this woman!" 

"I'm sure that's true, and I'm looking forward to learning whatever she's willing to share with me," Nick said pulling Cassandra closer. 

"I bet she won't tell you about the Voice. She's used it on her Watcher." Joe said in an accusing tone. 

Cassandra separated herself from Nick to round on Joe in a cold fury. She seemed to grow several inches in height as she marshaled all the power that she could summon. 

"Joseph Dawson, you will walk through that gate, and never show your face in my presence again," Cassandra commanded. 

Nick had expected that the Watcher would try to get in a last word, but he quietly exited the wolf sanctuary without looking back. Cassandra appeared exhausted and utterly drained. The aura of magical might that surrounded her was gone. 

"That was the Voice," she told him bleakly. 

"You mean you can issue an order, and people will just do whatever you say?" Nick said aghast. "You can pull the entire world's strings, manipulate everyone like puppets! That's a hell of a way to survive for three thousand years!" 

"Yes, it has been hell, Nick. Because so few trust me after they learn what I can do. You're probably better off without me," she said turning away from him blinded by tears, but somehow managing to put one foot in front of the other as she set off in the same direction that she had sent Joe Dawson minutes before. 

"No, don't go, Cassandra," Nick said chasing her down the meandering trail that rambled through the trees toward the parking lot. "You're wrong. I'm not better off without you," he shouted after her. "We're a part of one another," Nick said catching up to Cassandra and clinging to her like a man in danger of drowning. "Can't you feel it?" 

"Oh Nick, don't make this harder than it is already," she said tearfully wrenching herself away from him. "When trust is gone there's no basis for a relationship, you said it yourself." 

"Look at me, Cassandra," he said grabbing hold of her again. "You know we can't lie to each other. Any wolf can scent the stink of a lie. I trust you. I put myself in your hands, just as you put yourself in my hands when you first entered my pack's territory." 

He kissed her forehead and brushed away her tears with the tips of his fingers. At that moment, Cassandra began to allow herself to hope again. Even after three thousand years she could still experience joy and the re-awakening of love. 

After they bathed in their hidden grotto that evening, Cassandra lingered in the water a while longer. She then raised her arms and summoned her magical ally to ward the subterranean chamber against all eyes except the members of their pack. To all others it would remain unseen, just like Cassandra's cottage in Donan Woods. 

Nick stood there watching her with an expression of wonder on his features. "What did you just do?" he asked. "There was this golden glow that radiated from you and seemed to encompass everything here. I've never seen anything like it." 

"How many revelations can you cope with in one day?" she responded teasingly as she emerged from the pool and toweled herself dry. 

"If I had to guess, I would say that you just did something magical. You are magic, Cassandra, the original woman of mystery." 

"I'm a witch, Nick. I was a witch before recorded history, before there was such a thing as science." 

"Oh, I have no doubt that you're a witch," he said closing the distance between them. " You've bewitched me from the moment we first met.." 

Then the magic of lips that met, and bodies that intertwined wove a spell of their own. 

Later as they lounged on the furs in the wolf den surrounded by their pack, Nick felt overcome by a confusion of emotions. "It's all so perfect and so right, Cassandra. Us, the wolves, this place. But you're right. We can't stay here. It's hard for me to even think about leaving. I've never felt at home anywhere else." 

"Immortals must become accustomed to a nomadic existence, Nick. We make homes for ourselves wherever we are, but eventually moving on is a necessity. It's part of the way we live. There are other wolf sanctuaries, and we can return to this one from time to time." 

"True enough. From now on my home is where you are, Cassandra, for as long as I'm alive," Nick said gazing into her eyes solemnly. "I'd ask you to be my wife, but someone could take my head tomorrow." 

"Someone could, but that would be less likely if you'd learn to use a sword." 

"I won't play the Game, Cassandra, and I refuse to learn how!" 

"I'm talking about self-defense, Nick." 

"I have this for self-defense," he said showing her a hand gun that was within easy reach. "If an immortal challenges me, I'll shoot him and leave the vicinity." 

"If word gets around that you use a gun, an immortal who's fast and clever enough might disarm you." 

"I didn't make detective by losing my gun to perps on the street. I can handle myself, Cassandra." 

"Were the perps seasoned warriors with centuries of experience? A gun may not be enough. I want you to live, Nick," she said pillowing her head on his chest. "Is that so unreasonable?" 

"You certainly provide a man with plenty of motivation to survive," he said affectionately fondling her generously proportioned breasts. 

Cassandra gently set aside his wandering hands and removed herself from easy access by turning to face him. She enjoyed the sensations that he was arousing in her, but she couldn't allow him to distract her from this discussion. Nick's future was too important. 

"I want you to have the best training with someone you can respect. Duncan MacLeod is a fine swordsman and a man of honor. I've literally known him all his life." 

"I'll trust your judgment, but I've got to say that I have misgivings. Amanda mentioned this Duncan MacLeod a few times. I gathered that she and Duncan have had.... quite a history. I'd rather not run into Amanda, if I can avoid it." 

"I think that Amanda can be persuaded to respect your wishes. She isn't totally insensitive, Nick." 

"Just make sure she stays away from me. That's all I ask." 

When Cassandra phoned Duncan the next day he was reluctant to take on another student, but did agree to meet with Nick to see if they could work together. Cassandra booked a flight for herself and Nick to rendezvous with Duncan in Sydney, Australia where Duncan had established an identity as a social worker assisting culturally alienated aborigines. 

As for poor Daphne Curtiss, the remains of her rented car were eventually recovered when the wreck drifted onto a beach covered with seaweed. Her body was never found. 

_FINIS_

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© 2009   
Please send comments to the author! 

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